Benjamin Law quits Sydney Festival board following Israeli funding controversy

In a statement on Friday afternoon announcing his departure, Law said: “Today’s decision to leave the Board is mine alone.“I am only comfortable departing now because I have every confidence in the remaining Board directors for the process ahead, and I remain an ardent fan and supporter of Olivia Ansell’s vision of a reactivated and dynamic Sydney.”

David Kirk, chair of the festival board, thanked Law for his service and praised him as “an insightful and much valued member of our Board since joining in 2020.”Earlier this week, Kirk apologised to the artists affected but confirmed the board would not hand back the sponsorship money from the embassy. He promised “a full and independent review of the processes around the taking of public money”.

A wonderful opportunity for the board of Sydney Festival to replace mrbenjaminlaw with a Jew. Diversity, and all that.

Like Djokovic fans who cry about a tennis star but don't give a damn about refugees in the same hotel, Law is a loud activist for GLBQTI rights but can sit silently all month while Arab artists are denied their rights. And now, he wants to be the hero?

He’s sanctimonious and completely full of himself.

He whinges about everything. Everything.

Zionist control has no boundaries.... The make meddling and interference an art...

Who?

Naawww, how incredibly woke.

slackbastard Shouldn’t it say stands down? Wasn’t he as a board member part of the poor decisions and poor board performance that had led to the festival being a shambles this year?

I presume he resigned because he failed in his duty as a board member to provide adequate oversight back when the sponsorship was brokered. He’s not a hero. He stuffed up, and so he resigned. I hope he’s honest enough to say that, and not frame his resignation as a moral stand.

amymcquire mr__whocares what were ur odds on this lol

What was he doing on the board anyway?

These idiots should not be on any committees

Sadly, racism is still alive and well. This anti Jewish thing is sickening

Who is this muppet and why is he all In my feed

who knew taking money from the embassy of the only country in middle east to support LGBTQI rights would be controversial.

Ladies and gentlemen, Dirty Benny. The bloke who tweeted he wanted to ‘hate fk’ politicians who disagreed with him on gay marriage. Sordid! Rude tweets still available via google. What was he doing on the board in the first place.

Remember the Palestinian government is anti-pluralist, misogynist and homophobic and HAMAs is a terrorist group. As a progressive gay man I don't understand how another gay man can support the far right because that is what supporting Palestinians means.

No great loss.

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